


Tryst

by LuketheWriter



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blackmail, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Castles, Dreamsharing, Everyone Is Gay, Except the head supervisor because this story doesn't really explore him, Forbidden Love, Gay, Guards, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Is that a spoiler WHOOPS, M/M, One joking jester, Original Fiction, POV Third Person Limited, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 12:14:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15364464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuketheWriter/pseuds/LuketheWriter
Summary: "Lanzo held onto regret, even though his love for Pippin ran so deep inside him that he knew no one would ever be able to extract it from him. A relationship like this was forbidden in this kingdom; a member of the royal guard and a mere entertainer of the court could never possibly be together. Their statuses would clash; the one with higher reputation would be ruined; they’d give too much of themselves to each other, and it would be all for nothing.They might even give away the secrets they had left at the castle doors.But they didn’t care, at least for now."A royal guard shares a secret relationship with a court jester, one that, if exposed, could rip the two of them apart. While they haven't thought that hard about the repercussions, the castle has other ideas.





	Tryst

**Author's Note:**

> After vanishing for half a year, I have returned with an original short story! Most of my time since then has been spent revising that debut novel that is slowly coming along (I've reached the second part) and finishing up high school, but I also started a new blog (Naturally Flavored Animal on Wix) where I review anime and books. Unfortunately, not a lot of fanfic writing has happened, but maybe once I get into a new fandom it'll happen? We'll have to wait and see.
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this short story on a whim after it sat in my Notes app for one and a half years, and I'm very proud of how it turned out. Also, I haven't shared an original piece on this website, so I thought I'd go ahead and do it.
> 
> The title is inspired by an excellent collection of Snow White with the Red Hair Obi x Zen one-shots by thunderingskies.

Lanzo heard the bells ringing from all the way down the hallway, and he knew, just knew, that Pippin was paying him a visit.

It was like him to do so. Every afternoon, whenever he could get a break from entertaining the king’s court, Pippin would walk by Lanzo’s post, saying a hello and offering up a witty joke he had just gotten done telling to the royals. Lanzo knew he wasn’t supposed to like these visits; his fellow guards had complained time and time again about how corny Pippin was, how he’d keep pressing for an answer even when his begrudging audience lost its interest. But there was something about how Pippin could pull you in with a trick question, how the punchline cracked Lanzo’s armor that made him wait forward to this moment every day.

But he could never show it, at least when the two were out in the open.

The jingling was getting closer. Lanzo kept his head still, but his gaze shot down to the floor to sneak a glimpse at the black boots Pippin wore that cut off at the ankle, soft-looking things that curved up to shining gold bells at the tips. Every time he stepped on the tile of the castle floor, the ornaments would rattle, letting out little notes of music that didn’t have any particular pitch but still sounded like something that could be listened to. Lanzo’s eyes stayed on Pippin’s shoes up until they were right in front of his own, up to the thigh and disappearing under his long black suit pants.

“Hello, Lanzo,” Pippin said, his voice ringing just like the bells on his shoes and, as Lanzo’s eyes traveled up, shawl and jumpsuit sleeves and hat. His colors of choice were black and red, to match the royal guard and crest; red was an accent in the form of stitched diamonds on everything except his hat, where one half was black and the other was red.

Lanzo’s gaze came to rest on Pippin’s face, a soft and sandy-colored warmth even with the lights as bright as they were. He tried his best not to look happy to see him and instead responded with “Pippin. Good day.”

Pippin’s mischievous smile grew wider as he laughed. “You’re always so formal, Lanzo. I’m pretty sure the head guard and the prince would be proud of you, but you don’t need to be that way around me. Let loose a little.”

It took all Lanzo could to resist the temptation of leaning a few inches forward; answering Pippin’s request would have to wait. Instead, he changed the subject. “What’s the riddle you’ve been carrying around today?”

“I actually have a few,” Pippin mused, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the side. “Would you like me to tell you one of them?”

Lanzo nodded in the stiff and curt way he had been taught.

The grin that was once on Pippin’s lips reappeared. “What are the three shortest words in the English language?”

Lanzo frowned.

“I’ll give you a hint.” Pippin’s voice became a whisper, and he brought his mouth to Lanzo’s ear. “They’re all two letters and start with the letter ‘I.’” A finger came to fiddle with one of the buttons on Lanzo’s red jacket, a red so much darker than the hair hidden beneath his bearskin but approaching the color of the blush that was beginning to grace his cheeks. “What do you think they could be?”

Damn Pippin and his smooth, sly ways.

Pippin blew a short breath of air on Lanzo’s earlobe and pulled back, his smirk and figure twirling down the hall. “I’ll let you figure it out, but you may hear me say those words tonight, won’t you? Ta-ta.”

Then Pippin was gone almost as soon as he had arrived. The only thing Lanzo had to do was blink, and it was like he hadn’t even been there. But his words remained. They would be stuck in Lanzo’s head for however long they wanted to be, perhaps for the rest of the day.

Lanzo’s feet shifted against the stone floor as he took a deep breath.

This was going to be a long day.

  
****

“So, do you know the answer to my little joke now?”

Lanzo let out a breath as he fell onto the pillows of his bed. “I believe I do, yes.”

Pippin snickered, the shaved part of his head resting against Lanzo’s chest as his finger orbited around a freckle there. “Good.”

Of course the day had ended like this. Lanzo had expected it: another night spent behind the closed door of his bedroom, letting ravenous love devour every thought until he couldn’t think straight and could only focus on the teasing lilt of Pippin’s voice as he asked him if he felt good, if he was close to jumping off the edge and never returning, never again. Then that lilt would become a gasp, a moan, a growl, and then there would be pants and tender confessions, and the weight of lust would turn Lanzo into the jelly the prince sliced and smeared all over his lamb when dinner came.

The relationship Lanzo and Pippin shared had always been like this. Feelings had first overflown on a night quite like this one, one where the moon shone a brilliant silver through the blinds and only a single light glimmered in the dark. One of Pippin’s jokes had been more flirtatious than usual, and Lanzo couldn’t hold in a request he had been fiddling with for a week or so. “Would you like to come visit me in my quarters tonight, jester?”

Pippin had cocked his head, and although his smile and his promise to fulfill the request had held no betrayal of true emotion, his eyes had sparked with something that the two of them confessed in hungry kisses and wandering hands: love. They didn’t have time to dwell on the danger when this passion felt so…right.

But Lanzo held onto regret, even though his love for Pippin ran so deep inside him that he knew no one would ever be able to extract it from him. A relationship like this was forbidden in this kingdom; a member of the royal guard and a mere entertainer of the court could never possibly be together. Their statuses would clash; the one with higher reputation would be ruined; they’d give too much of themselves to each other, and it would be all for nothing.

They might even give away the secrets they had left at the castle doors.

But they didn’t care, at least for now. Lanzo and Pippin hadn’t been caught, not yet. Lanzo figured they would at some point, but it would be down the line, maybe after they had fulfilled their positions and been replaced. Maybe it would be once they were out of this place and they could build a new life together and didn’t have to worry about being out in the open because they could shed everything from their pasts and be new people, ones who were more than The Favored Royal Guard or The Favored Court Jester.

They could be themselves.

They could call each other by their real names.

“Pippin?” Lanzo hadn’t realized he spoke until the word was echoing off the bars that served as the ceiling to his canopy bed. Pippin looked up, fauxhawk ruffled in a way that made him look like a baby crow Lanzo had once seen on a branch outside the window he was stationed by. “Do you ever think about what life might offer us if we left the castle?”

Pippin frowned, the gesture so thoughtful that Lanzo was taken by surprise. “I do, yes,” he admitted, resting his nose against Lanzo’s jaw. “I know I’m not alone in that.”

“Yeah, you’re not,” Lanzo said, letting out a little gasp when Pippin’s lips touched his jawline. “Do you ever wonder what my actual name is?”

Now Pippin really shocked Lanzo. His eyes widened as his hands grabbed Lanzo’s shoulders. “Now that’s truly dangerous thinking.”

Lanzo shrugged. “I can’t help it, though,” he murmured, sounding a little guilty. “Wouldn’t it make things so much easier if we knew who we really were?”

“I suppose,” Pippin admitted. “But you’re going to have to guess what my name is if you want it.”

“Another game?” Lanzo asked, a grin spreading on his lips.

Pippin nodded, fingers ghosting against Lanzo’s face before resting in the strands of hair that touched his earlobes. “I’ll give you a hint. It kind of sounds like ‘Pippin,’ but it has three syllables and begins with a different letter.”

“Hmm…”

“Want another hint?” Pippin whispered, lips coming to brush against Lanzo’s. “That letter starts off the alphabet.”

“Okay.” Lanzo barely got the word out before the two kissed, settling back into their illicit affair.

  
****

The next morning, when all the royal guards were gathered in the dining hall for breakfast, the leader of the Royal Guards came up to Lanzo. Lanzo’s supervisor was a tall and imperious man, several sashes and pins adorning his jacket while his gray brows were caught in a deep furrow. “Lanzo, the prince has asked to see you once you have finished your breakfast.”

“Yes, sir,” Lanzo replied, taking another spoonful of porridge in his mouth. When he swallowed, he cleared his throat and asked, “Did His Majesty share any reasons for my visit?”

“None that he told me,” the supervisor said, shaking his head once.

Lanzo tried his best not to shift his facial expression away from the stoic look he had been instructed to hold at all times, but he could feel a frown forming at the edges of his lips. He didn’t say anything more, instead focusing on finishing his porridge and mug of bitter coffee and dropping off his dishes when he was done.

The walk to the prince’s chambers was uneventful, but it was always fascinating to watch the general patterns of the castle change to opulent fabrics and gold accents. They were especially prevalent on the prince’s door, an entirely gold piece of work with a matching knocker. Lanzo reached for the ring and slammed it with a solitary bang.

“Your Majesty!” he called. “Lanzo of the Royal Guard reporting for his visit!”

“Yes,” the prince answered, his voice muffled through the metal. “Please, come in.”

Lanzo’s fingers clenched around the handle, pushing the lock down on top before letting the door slowly creak open. The prince’s quarters were sprawling, decadent cream carpet supporting a bed pushed into the far corner, dressers, a changing screen, a desk, and a throne, where the prince was currently sitting. A thumb was teasing a stack of documents sitting on his knee, but as soon as he looked up to see Lanzo had taken the first step into his room, he smiled and set them aside. “Good morning, Lanzo.”

What Lanzo found captivating about the prince was how much he looked like the polar opposite of Pippin. The prince’s skin was a fair white compared to Pippin’s darker complexion, and his hair was a bright white blond, translucent locks styled in gentle spikes that remained that way even when he had a crown on his head. Even the way they held themselves was different. Pippin’s posture was always sharp, as direct as the punchlines of one of his jokes, but the prince’s was softer, a little more concave. When he spoke to you, it was as if the sun was shining only on you. It was a magical thing.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.” Lanzo bowed, his knee touching the ground and a hand coming to his chest. He looked up. “What did you want to see me for?”

The prince grinned. “Ah, yes.” He got up from his throne and walked over to his bed. When he turned to look back, Lanzo noticed there was something different in those hazel eyes, a curiosity spent contained for too long. It reminded him of Pippin’s eyes, the same shade as the prince’s, but his mind shook it off. Surely he was seeing things. “I’ve noticed new developments in you, Lanzo.”

Lanzo tried his best not to grimace. “What do you mean, Prince?”

The blond royal unclipped the scarlet cape from his shoulders and let the fabric fall to the floor. “You seem a lot less stoic than when you started here. You show a little more emotion, a little less caution. Like right now, for instance. Back when you first filled your position as a royal guard, you wouldn’t even flinch when receiving words that made you uncomfortable. But now you’re hesitating. Why is that, do you think?”

“I have no idea,” Lanzo replied. “Perhaps I’m getting far too comfortable with my position and need to familiarize myself with the rules once more.”

“Maybe,” the prince mumbled. “That’s not a terrible answer. Do you want to know what I think?”

Lanzo didn’t answer. This time, when the prince smiled, there wasn’t anything warm about it. “I think it’s because you’ve spent too much time with that jester of yours. What’s his name? Pippin?”

All the color drained from Lanzo’s face. “How do you know about that?”

“Honestly,” the prince laughed. “Did you think no one would notice the electricity shooting between you two? It’s almost as if I can draw it in whenever he makes his rounds, which are always longer when he comes to you. Don’t think those haven’t gone unnoticed either. Your fellow guards and supervisor have let me know from when they’ve observed you, and even I’m able to pick it up. I’m not as blindingly daft as you think I am.”

Lanzo gulped, but there was nothing to force down; his throat was dry. “So when do I have to leave this place?” he asked, voice hollow. “When do you want me to hang up my uniform and find life on the streets?”

The prince scoffed and shook his head. “I’m not that heartless to do that right away. If you do it again, however, I may just consider it.” He came back to Lanzo then, leaning down to stare him right in the eye. “But as long as you make sure you don’t go out of your way to see him, we won’t have a problem.”

Lanzo couldn’t even attempt to hold back a sigh of relief.

“In exchange, however,” the prince whispered, “you’ll have to do something for me.”

The realization hit Lanzo with a fierce intensity that left him breathless. “Y-you couldn’t possibly mean-”

“Yes.” The prince reached for the top clasp of his coat, popping it open to reveal his bare neck. “I’ve been wondering what it would be like to experience connection with someone on my staff. You seem to be a good candidate, Lanzo.”

Words dematerialized in Lanzo’s mind as the prince continued to unbutton his coat, revealing he was wearing no undershirt beneath it. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed at all that was being revealed: the toned chest and stomach, the mole resting precariously on the curve of his right pectoral muscle, and the skin that looked as beautiful as the most delicate of roses. But he hesitated, because he knew this wasn’t right. “But what about Pippin? I could never do this to him-”

The prince’s chuckle this time was dark, lacking all the good humor from before. “Too bad. Pippin will slowly disappear from your life, and the only things you’ll be capable of are doing your job and satisfying me. Besides…” The prince threw off his coat. Lanzo watched the medallions on it clang against the floor. “I know you think I’m attractive. It’s written on that worn-down-guard of your face.”

Damn Pippin.

“So what do you say?” the prince asked, getting down on his knees. His nose was touching Lanzo’s. “Care to fulfil your end of the bargain?”

Lanzo knew he had no other choice, but the prince was wrong about one thing: he was going to see Pippin again, in some way. It didn’t matter how long it took; it would happen. He didn’t care if that made him naïve; he loved that court jester too damn much. “I suppose I should.”

The prince burst into malicious laughter. “Good,” he said. “And one more thing before we start…” His lips were mere centimeters away when he whispered, “You’re to call me Antoine.”

  
****

Weeks passed. Lanzo’s posts were vacant, Pippin purposefully away from his area of the castle. He didn’t even see the jester when he was walking in the hallways; they ordinarily didn’t since they were different classes, but that didn’t stop the guard from hoping and lingering on the last words he had heard from him. But the more time flew by, the more that hope slowly dwindled.

Whenever the prince called on Lanzo to meet with him, Lanzo’s fellow guards shared knowing looks and stifled coughs. Lanzo felt like his face was always on fire during those moments, but as he slowly regained composure, he figured it was all his imagination. After all, he was a guard. Emotion didn’t come in the handbook. He would get better.

Those meetings with Antoine were different from what Lanzo was familiar with when it came to Pippin. Love with Pippin was like lava, rampant and scorching and undeniably dangerous. But Antoine was more akin to a glacier, freezing and calculated and like that guide Lanzo had had to read before he became a member of the royal guard. After a while, Lanzo imagined he was with Pippin, even though the prince was fairly skilled at what he did. It made those encounters easier, knowing that the person he truly loved could potentially feel what Lanzo was supposed to feel. Being a pawn was satisfying for only so long.

The next full moon arrived after the same schedule as always: breakfast, Antoine, post, supper, post, and then lights out. Lanzo had barely fallen asleep when a knock sounded on the door, startling him back into the darkness of the real world. He left his bed and answered, barely containing his shock when he saw a familiar figure highlighted by the sconce in the hallway. “Pippin?”

Pippin stepped into Lanzo’s quarters like he was being followed, and Lanzo quickly closed the door behind him, holding onto the handle lock in case Pippin did have someone on his tail. “What are you doing here?”

Pippin’s usual glee was gone, replaced with a fear so intense that Lanzo found himself once again fascinated by the many dimensions the jester had. “I needed to see you. The royal court completely changed my schedule out of the blue and have done everything they could to keep me away from this part of the castle. But I can’t survive another week without seeing you. This has been the cruelest joke I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m done waiting for the punchline. What is going on?”

Lanzo bit his lip, knowing he couldn’t hide what was going on for any longer. “People found out about our relationship.”

Pippin shot him a look, so Lanzo continued, “The head guard and the prince. They found out.”

“But I thought we were doing a good job of hiding it,” Pippin said. “I don’t get it. How did they figure it out?”

“It’s my fault,” Lanzo admitted. “They started noticing the changes in my behavior and pinned it on you. That’s what’s been happening. The prince says he’s going to keep me away from you until I forget the time we’ve spent together, even if it means…I sleep with him.”

“He’s made you do that?” Pippin snarled. “That bastard.”

“I only consented to it because I knew we would somehow come back together.” Lanzo took Pippin’s hands into his. “I just didn’t know when it would be. I’m sorry.”

Pippin’s frown dissolved into a flat line. “You’re not to blame for this. If anyone should feel ashamed, it’s him.” He shook his head. “I’ve had enough of this castle and its games. You know what we should do?”

Lanzo’s eyes widened. “Escape from here?”

Pippin smiled. “I knew you’d get the answer to that one. Now go over to your dresser and get some civilian clothes on. I’ll do the same. Then I’ll come back here to meet you and we’ll find our way out.”

“Sounds good to me,” Lanzo said, and then something dawned on him, a realization so sharp that it made him don one of Pippin’s signature smirks. “You know, I think I finally figured out your real name.”

Pippin’s mouth dropped open in shock for only a moment before he played it off. “Well, since we’re starting a new life together, we’ll need to shed the old parts of ourselves we don’t need in favor of our true selves. What’s my name, Lanzo?”

“Adrien.”

As soon as Lanzo said it, Adrien wrapped his arms around him and kissed him hard enough for Lanzo to see fragments of that life he’d been dreaming of with the man he loved so much. There was a little cottage made of stone and brick that gave the two of them the perfect view of the stars, so many beautiful and infinite and twinkling stars.

Adrien stepped back, cheeks pink and a naughty grin back on his lips. “You got it! What about yours?”

“Clarence.” It felt weird saying it out loud for the first time in a long while, but Clarence liked the way it sounded. It was like finding something you had forgotten when you were younger and cherishing it forever after that. “So we are no longer Lanzo and Pippin, but Clarence and Adrien.”

Adrien sighed. “I love it.” He leaned forward to give Clarence one more kiss. “Now hurry up and get changed. We have an escape to hatch. That bastard prince isn’t going to know what hit him.”

  
****

Clarence changed out of the pants he had been wearing to sleep and dug through his clothes until he found items that would be inconspicuous enough: black pants and socks, slide-on shoes, a white shirt, and a black jacket. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he was surprised to see someone unrecognizable looking back at him. It had been a while since he had really seen himself out of his guard uniform, but he liked this reflection. He was more than what he had always been; that was a good thing.

Once he had finished, he waited a few minutes before daring to open his door. Adrien was waiting on the other side, fist raised like he had been ready to knock once more. His choice of clothing was more rugged: boots, a pair of worn jeans, and a black fleece jacket zipped all the way up, betraying the bare skin underneath that looked smooth to the touch.

Clarence blushed and looked to the side. “You look very handsome, Adrien.”

Adrien chuckled softly and grabbed Clarence’s hand. He brought his lover’s fingertips to his collarbone, white lily to brown seashore. “So do you, Clarence. But as much as I love giving each other compliments, we have very little time left. We have to make a move.”

Clarence’s arm dropped down to his side, but rather than leave it there, he put his palm in Adrien’s. This time, he didn’t have to restrain himself from doing so. “Let’s do that.”

The two of them ran on the tips of their toes, hallways blurring by them as they made their way out. If they came upon a guard, they hid behind suits of armor or draperies hung on the walls. One of these draperies hid a staircase that wound its way all the way down to the base of the castle, and Adrien and Clarence took the steps two at a time, desperate to get out of this place that had attempted to drive them apart.

The night greeted them as soon as they opened the exit to the stairs, and without hesitation, both men began to sprint, their shoes cutting through grass and paces as fast as a bird in flight. Just one more stretch, and they would be free. It was so close that they could almost touch it, feel it sail right into their-

Clarence noticed a figure standing a few yards up ahead, and he had to squeeze Adrien’s palm so they could stop. Adrien shot his companion a confused look at first, but then he saw what Clarence was seeing: the familiar cape flapping in the breeze, the white suit, the serious gaze leveled out on the horizon, the sword clasped in fists that were white-knuckled.

It was Antoine, the prince.

“Where do you think you’re making a getaway to?” he asked, cocking his head. “Last time I checked, I didn’t have either of you posted outside.”

“I’m afraid you might be playing a little dumb, Your Majesty.” Adrien’s tone was a little more dangerous than usual, all his playfulness refined to a scary and sharp edge. “I think you know what we’re trying to do.”

“Sadly, I do,” Antoine snapped. “And I can’t allow it, especially with you two. Do you have any idea what you’re doing? You’re leaving behind a life of certainty, of comfort, so you can love one another selfishly without any regard to how it affects the world around you. Don’t you realize the implications your relationship has? Why-”

“I’m going to stop you right there before you let even more idiotic things dribble from those lips of yours,” Adrien said. “There’s nothing wrong with us being in love. If we have problems to work out, we can do that in privacy. I think the even bigger issue is your lack of acceptance when it comes to two people from different classes falling in love. That’s not acceptable.”

“Why is that an issue?” Antoine barked. Clarence was surprised soldiers weren’t coming down to investigate the commotion. “That’s absurd! Look at you two.” He pointed at Adrien. “You’re a jester who could be performing on the street for all the peasants if you weren’t here! And you.” His finger shifted to Clarence. “You’re one of my royal guards. You should be by my side and protecting me and getting to see the world as I see it: a place where we are in charge.”

“Do you think I want that?” Once the words left Clarence’s lips, more kept coming. “I no longer want to be a toy for you. That’s not who I am or who I want to be. I need to be free to make my own choices and live the life I want to. That can’t be under your rule.”

Antoine looked truly shocked by this. His lips trembled as he said, “But you and I had an agreement. You were going to love me. You were going to be by my side. You were going to choose me over him. Lanzo, how could you-”

“That’s not my name!” Clarence shouted. “I threw that name away as soon as I decided this escape was what I wanted. If you think our love was only defined by the game you were playing with me, you need to figure out what the true definition of love is.”

Silence fell upon the three of them. Antoine’s eyes were wide, and Clarence could have sworn he saw them glitter in the moonlight. He watched as the prince fell to his knees, the sword sheathing itself into the soft ground below him. Then small drops started hitting the grass. The prince was crying.

“All I wanted,” Antoine sniffed, letting the droplets streak down his face and soak the ground, “was to be happy with you. I thought you’d be happy if you were with me. I thought you were already because I was happy.”

“But I wasn’t,” Clarence replied. “I don’t think you realized that. I may have consented, but the only person I was looking forward to was Adrien. If you want to be in a relationship with someone, I’d advise against blackmail. Make sure they reciprocate your feelings before you try and force them.”

Antoine looked up at Clarence, eyes overflowing, and nodded. Then he did something that left Adrien and Clarence stunned: he bowed his head.

The three men stayed that way for a minute, the implications settling into Adrien and Clarence until Adrien tugged at Clarence’s hand. “I think we can go,” he whispered, and his grin was so wide that Clarence couldn’t help but find himself mirroring the action. They were free. They were really, truly free.

Adrien and Clarence started running, leaving Antoine and the castle and their posts behind. Once they had gotten far enough into the bordering woods, Adrien let out a shout, one filled with joy and relief. Clarence felt himself unleashing one of his own, and before he even recognized what was happening, he and Adrien were embracing on the ground, tears dotting jackets and lips pressed to cheeks.

  
****

Clarence’s eyes fluttered open. He lay in bed with his head resting against a down-filled pillow, staring up at the ceiling. He shifted his gaze to the window, where a rising sun greeted him from a cover of branches, and gave Adrien’s bare shoulder soft kisses.

Everything had felt like a dream, at first, but now they were living the life they had once imagined. Their cottage out in the woods had been the first feat accomplished, an arduous process that had involved builders from the town to the west and materials brought in from places the two had never heard of. But once their house had been built, the rest had followed swiftly. They found work in the land to their west, Adrien entertaining guests at a tavern on busy nights and Clarence serving as a clerk at a little shop where knick-knacks and other valuable antiques were sold. They set furnishings and decorated the rooms of their cottage until everything had been breathtaking.

But most importantly, they had found a place where no one would test them ever again. They were at peace.

Adrien rolled on his other side, the sheets shifting over him as he smiled sleepily at Clarence. “Good morning, love.”

Clarence’s mouth found Adrien’s cheek and left a tender kiss on the skin. “Good morning, Adrien.”

No more secret names, no more stumbling around at night, no more worrying about classes.

They could finally be.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked what you read, feel free to leave a kudo, bookmark, or comment. Thanks for reading!


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